
Being issued a traffic challan is harrowing, but a trip to the courts to settle the fine can be even more distressing despite attempts by authorities to make the process simple and quick
Sameer Singh had been counting down the days to the bittersweet moment when he would bid adieu to his best friend who is going abroad for studies. But when the day finally arrived, the 22-year-old found himself at the Patiala Courts Complex instead of the Delhi airport.
On October 8, Sameer was pulled over by the police on Barakhamba Road. He was driving his motorcycle without a learner’s licence and failed to produce any vehicle documents. Despite his pleas to settle the heavy fine on the spot, Sameer’s bike was impounded and he was handed over a court challan.
While he blamed himself for getting into the mess, Sameer reserved some angst for the procedural “delays and complexities” of the court. “If it weren’t for the delays, I could have wrapped things up here and bid farewell to my friend,” he said.
‘I am clueless’
“This is the first time I have been in a court, I am clueless as to how I will get my registration certificate back. The policemen who issued me the challan gave me some tips, but things are not so easy here. I requested the policemen for an on-spot challan but they refused citing the new Motor Vehicles (MV) Act,” said Sameer, who was wandering the complex looking for the right room.
As he was roaming around, a man wearing a black coat approached Sameer and introduced himself as an advocate. Sensing that Sameer was lost, the man took the challan from his hand and after a brief glance said he could get the matter settled for ₹1,000, including fees.
Sameer thought he had struck a deal and asked the man to help him. After going in and out of several rooms, the man came back and asked for ₹4,000.
Confused, Sameer asked the ‘lawyer’ to return his challan slip saying he would find his own way. The man, however, told Sameer that the challan had already been submitted and now he would have to appear before a magistrate.
After several hours, Sameer was finally able to pay his challan by depositing ₹4,000 to the court and paying ₹1,000 to the man.
Though Sameer had a harrowing time, others had a more straightforward and simple experience.
‘Do not accept help’
“It is always better to appear before a magistrate without any external help and accept your fault if you have violated traffic rules… and if not then contest your case by producing necessary proof or document to establish your claim,” said Raghav Chandra, who paid his challan without assistance of any advocate.
Mr. Chandra said it was his third time in court. The first two times was to help out his friends.
“I know the procedure, so I made photocopies of the required documents before coming… first-timers have to roam around searching for photocopy shops inside court premises,” said Mr. Chandra, who was in court to get his vehicle released.
Most traffic violators have to come to evening courts, especially assigned to deal with traffic challans. While acknowledging the problems being faced by those trying to pay off their challan, the Delhi police claim to have come up with several solutions.
Virtual court
“To make things smoother for motorists who visit the courts to pay challan, we have a facility called ‘Virtual Court’ at the Tis Hazari Courts where motorists can pay their challan without visiting the court,” said a traffic police official.
In a virtual court, the violator gets an SMS with a weblink, which redirects to a virtual court web portal. Thereafter, the violator can opt to pay the challan online or contest the challan. However, the option is not available to all.
“The option is only for non-serious traffic offences, for offences like drunk driving or red-light jumping or violations under which the vehicle gets impounded falls under serious traffic offences,” added the official.
A traffic policeman said that after the implementation of the new MV Act, only court challans are being issued in Delhi.
“It is a time-consuming process but not complicate,” he said, adding: “Traffic violators do not need any legal assistance to pay the challan in court. The SMS sent to the violator contains the address of the court with the date and time where he or she has to appear before a magistrate,” said the policeman.
“If the motorist has all the documents that he failed to produce during the challan, then he/she can contest the challan and the magistrate might exempt him/her from paying any fine,” he added.
Hefty fines
Procedure, however, is not the only problem. Many seek reduction in fines.
Autorickshaw driver Ram Sharan, who was caught jumping a red light while having extra passengers in Saket, pleaded before a magistrate at the District Court Saket that he would not be able to pay the ₹5,000 fine. “I am unable to pay the fine amount as it is huge for me. The documents of my vehicle were confiscated during the challan. I will wait for the next Lok Adalat scheduled next week where the court will further reduce the fine amount in a way to clear pendency,” said Mr. Sharan.
Advocates, such as the one Sameer met, see the confusion and chaos as an opportunity to make an extra buck. “We never harass or force a visitor to take our service. Visitors come to us to make their work easy as not everyone is legally sound or knows court procedure,” said an advocate in the Patiala Courts Complex.
Dip in challans
A court staffer who coordinates with the Delhi Traffic Police said that after the new MV Act, there has been a significant dip in court challans. “Earlier, the entire gallery used to be full of visitors trying to settle their challans but now it is less crowded. It might be due to high fines… people have started obeying traffic rules,” said the staffer.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Narendra Singh Bundela said that before September 1, Delhi Traffic Police used to issue around 20,000 challans a day. After the new MV Act came into force, the figure has come down to around 7,000 challans per day.
“It is good that people are following traffic rules. Most of the challans are referred to the virtual court for speedy redressal. The challans under which a vehicle is impounded are referred to regular courts,” said Mr. Bundela.
Once a motorists has paid the challan, he/she can show the receipt to the concerned traffic police officer to get seized documents and vehicles.
“Vehicles are only impounded if the driver does not have any documents, including driving license, or the driver is unfit to drive, or the vehicle is unfit,” said Mr. Bundela.
77 thoughts on “The ordeal after the traffic challan”
order levaquin 500mg online levofloxacin 250mg drug
fildena cheap buy tamoxifen pills methocarbamol online buy
order suhagra sildenafil 20 mg estradiol price
purchase lamictal online cheap oral prazosin 1mg retin online
order tadalafil 10mg generic tadalafil pills buy generic voltaren
order accutane 20mg for sale amoxil 500mg price zithromax 250mg tablet
order generic indomethacin terbinafine tablet cost amoxicillin 500mg
generic anastrozole 1 mg clarithromycin brand order sildenafil 50mg pills
acheter 10mg gГ©nГ©rique cialis en france generique cialis 20mg viagra 200mg prix
deltasone 40mg usa tadalafil india 50mg viagra
tadalafil 10mg fГјr frauen sildenafil 50mg fГјr frauen original viagra 100mg rezeptfrei sicher kaufen
isotretinoin medication buy azithromycin 500mg without prescription buy ivermectin 12mg
order doxycycline 100mg pill order doxycycline 200mg buy furosemide 40mg without prescription
ramipril 10mg price irbesartan 300mg drug astelin us
catapres us spiriva 9 mcg brand buy tiotropium bromide pills
buspar cost buy phenytoin without prescription purchase oxybutynin online
buy terazosin 1mg online order terazosin without prescription sulfasalazine 500 mg cost
buy fosamax 70mg generic order motrin without prescription cost famotidine 20mg
buy generic olmesartan verapamil sale order diamox 250 mg without prescription
buy tacrolimus generic ursodiol sale urso 300mg tablet
imdur cheap generic digoxin 250 mg generic telmisartan 20mg
zyban 150mg over the counter oral bupropion 150mg generic seroquel 50mg
order molnupiravir 200mg online cheap naproxen 500mg brand prevacid uk
order sertraline generic sertraline 50mg brand viagra for men over 50
purchase salbutamol online cheap viagra usa sildenafil 100mg us
cheap tadalafil sale can i buy viagra with paypal buy sildenafil online cheap
cialis 20mg pyridium brand amantadine 100mg generic
buy revia 50 mg pills buy naltrexone pills buy generic abilify
dapsone 100mg pill fexofenadine 180mg for sale buy perindopril 8mg generic
purchase provera pills order praziquantel 600 mg for sale periactin uk
provigil 100mg canada generic stromectol 6mg ivermectin 3mg tablets
buy luvox 100mg online buy luvox online cheap order glipizide 10mg pills
isotretinoin 10mg ca prednisone 10mg for sale buy prednisone 10mg for sale
nootropil 800mg us order sildenafil 100mg sale viagra buy online
zithromax order online gabapentin tablets gabapentin usa
order tadalafil online cheap cialis overnight shipping usa viagra pills 200mg
lasix canada cost plaquenil hydroxychloroquine over the counter
cialis price walmart anafranil 25mg generic order generic clomipramine 50mg
chloroquine over the counter order cenforce generic buy baricitinib 2mg pill
order sporanox 100mg generic prometrium 100mg over the counter buy tindamax 500mg without prescription
order zyprexa 10mg for sale order bystolic 20mg for sale oral valsartan
oral norvasc order cialis online cheap tadalafil 10mg oral
buy sildenafil sale lisinopril pills buy lisinopril 2.5mg for sale
omeprazole pills purchase omeprazole pills slots free online
order linezolid sale linezolid cost best online casinos real money
buy metoprolol 50mg for sale metoprolol 100mg generic order levitra 20mg pills
cheap paper writing play poker online for money play online casino real money
vardenafil without prescription methylprednisolone buy online methylprednisolone generic
teach me how to write an essay buy an essay online cheap viagra us
purchase clomiphene online buy clomid generic roulette online
brand tadalafil 10mg order cialis 5mg viagra 100mg price
aristocort 10mg us buy triamcinolone 4mg online cheap oral desloratadine 5mg
cheap dapoxetine 60mg order priligy 60mg pill levothyroxine oral
buy tadalafil 10mg pill viagra 100mg pills viagra sale
cheap orlistat 60mg orlistat 60mg for sale zovirax over the counter
order generic tadalafil 20mg inderal without prescription plavix 150mg over the counter
buy zyloprim for sale rosuvastatin uk order zetia 10mg pills
methotrexate 5mg usa cheap warfarin 2mg metoclopramide 20mg ca
buy motilium generic sumycin 500mg pills cyclobenzaprine over the counter
buy cozaar for sale cozaar 25mg us buy topamax 200mg without prescription
lioresal brand toradol 10mg drug purchase toradol
imitrex 50mg brand sumatriptan 50mg us avodart cheap
order colchicine 0.5mg without prescription gambling sites casino games online real money
purchase ranitidine sale mobic 15mg sale brand celecoxib
casino games free hollywood casino online real money blackjack online money
brand flomax tamsulosin over the counter aldactone sale
cialis 20mg for sale ampicillin 500mg usa order ciprofloxacin 1000mg without prescription
simvastatin for sale order simvastatin 20mg without prescription proscar 5mg for sale
buy flagyl 400mg pills bactrim 960mg cost bactrim cost
buy diflucan without prescription sildenafil 100mg england viagra online
purchase keflex without prescription order erythromycin 500mg generic erythromycin 500mg canada
buy tadalafil 5mg for sale cialis without prescription sildenafil 100mg england
sildenafil 20mg sildenafil 50mg pill tadalafil 10mg over the counter
buy ceftin 250mg pills order robaxin 500mg pills methocarbamol 500mg generic
best casino online oral cialis 40mg tadalafil canada
buy trazodone 100mg online cheap sildenafil order online purchase aurogra sale
academia writers help me write my research paper stromectol for human